U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner misleads voters right out of the gate

Too scared to talk about her own record, attacks Schupp in misleading ad

U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-2nd District) recently launched a deceptive TV ad against her opponent, Missouri Senator Jill Schupp (D).

Instead of pointing to any of her accomplishments in Congress or laying out a positive vision for representing Missouri, Wagner’s ad recycles talking points from a failed 2014 attack in which Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft tried to mislead voters about Schupp’s record in his unsuccessful campaign against her for state Senate. 

The inaccurate and misleading ad focuses on sexual predators, alleging that Schupp is soft on crime.

NO ACCOMPLISHMENTS
“Only a career Washington insider (Wagner) could vote against the Violence Against Women Act one day and then use the issue of sexual predators to score political points the next,” said Ali O’Neil, Schupp’s campaign manager.

She pointed out several critical issues Wagner wants to avoid talking about:

• Nearly $1.3 million in campaign contributions from big pharma and the insurance industry while Wagner is proudly fighting to destroy the Affordable Care Act.
• Wagner has never held an in-person town hall because she is unwilling to hear from her constituents.

“She knows she can’t run on her accomplishments in Congress, because the reality is, she has none,” O’Neil said.

THE TRUTH
Responding to the inaccurate, attack ad, Schupp said:

“A good friend of mine was brutally murdered by a sexual predator, and I’ve worked hard to keep sexual predators behind bars. Instead of discussing the issues, Wagner is using the issue of sexual violence for political gain in attacks that distort my record and attempt to mislead the voters. People are tired of these divisive tactics that we see every day in Washington. They want to hear how we are going to help them and their families. That’s what I’m focused on.”